"All My Days"

I have had Psalm 139:16 on my mind much this week. Its beautiful, encouraging, and strangely enough, something that I need to be reminded of often! :) The NIV puts it this way,"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Just the idea that every single episode in my life has been planned and thought out by God before I was even in this world...wow! I had read it before and loved the wording, even thought about having it in Anjuli's nursery as there were so many "steps" we took prior to becoming pregnant with her...and yet how not a one of them was a surprise to the Lord. Oddly enough, I read it again this week in my Bible study book in reference to our worry/anxiety about our situations, just focusing on whether we are really trusting the Lord in everything understanding that he already is in control...or are we careless in the way we (read I) dismiss our tendency to worry worry worry....by considering it a special virtue,"I'm a planner...I'm just a perfectionist" etc etc. It was good for me to read! (PS. The 2nd from last sentence is a "Pauline" sentence...over 40 words. lol)
Life is full of the unexpected. A Virginia friend died Thursday morning unexpectedly. We hadn't "talked" in over a year but she was one of those friends that you don't have to talk to weekly in order to feel that closeness. I still remember our little visits, how she encouraged me in my walk with the Lord, how she always brought a life and energy to the conversation that was wholly Christ focused. She didn't just have that energy with talk, she was full of it when it came to action as well...we put together a "foreign language dinner" for the homeschool teens one year and planning/executing it was such a blast with her! She was quite a bit older than me and I used to shuttle her sons and my brothers to different events, usually ending up visiting with her at the tail end of chauffeuring or pick up. She was a beautiful Christian woman who loved people and her family and it showed in her life and conversation. I know that she is rejoicing in the Lord now, but I ache for her family, losing such a precious gift in a mother and wife.
I wasn't feeling super well last week but Thursday morning I felt particularly bad. I told Lou I felt crampy and achy all over, almost as though I was flu-sick. I spent the morning at the house and then at 1 went to a friend's across the street for our weekly "juicing" date. In the midst of crafting talk we decided to run over to the post thrift store and look for baby boy themed receiving blankets. We rented a table at a craft fair the 2nd Saturday in March so we've been making little all things baby projects for the past couple of weeks, just for fun mainly. :) I felt worse as the afternoon went, so I went home to lie down and rest around 3:30 and discovered that I was bleeding. I haven't had any problems this pregnancy with that so I called the doctor's office and explained the situation, was told to go to the hospital for monitoring immediately. Providentially, Lou came home from classes right as I was texting him and he drove me over. I had to laugh later as I looked at my "hospital bag" I scatteredly packed in those 5 minutes. Pajamas, socks and Bible were the only things that made it into it....no contact solution, shower supplies, etc....this whole "hospital bag" prep is something I'll need to get together soon! Anyways, long story short, they put me on the monitor and asked me if I was in pain, I said,"Well, I always have some pain so I'm uncomfortable but its been that way for a while now." And then they told me I was contracting every 1-2 minutes! Yikes! I felt yucky, like I said, but my contractions apparently are more of a "lower back ache, shortness of breath, cramping" kind than that whole "your stomach gets rock hard" indicator. They ran tests and did an ultrasound that showed Anjuli happily playing away inside! She was shaking her little fists up by her head and kicking as usual, praise the Lord. After that I felt much more relaxed inside, just reassured by the heartbeat sound on the monitor and her movement. The ultrasound showed no problems with the placenta and its not near the cervix so they weren't able to definitely state a cause for the sudden bleeding. They kept me until Friday afternoon, gave me lots of fluid...just enough to swell my fingers and toes nicely...and sent me home on semi-bedrest with Procardia for the contractions. I was only having 3-4 an hour when they discharged me, and over the weekend I spent much of my life on the couch. I can be up for 20-30 minutes on my feet before they kick in strongly and so I have been getting up for: meal cooking, shower, minor cleaning, laundry switches, and doctor appointments. :) Lou has taken over the grocery shopping and much of the tidying/cleaning around the house. Its so good to have him to rely on, even though I chafe at times at not being able to do these things.

 I spent my weekend making strawberry lavender sachets out of a stained vintage quilt top I bought in Kentucky at an auction for $7. I love re-purposing vintage material, it seems such a waste to not use it and what fun patterns!

 Tiny strawberry tops took patience....two for each strawberry. Since I had a LOT of couch time, I made 40 of these little fragrant fruits!

Yesterday at my appointment my doc said he would allow me to stay home as long as I paced myself and continued along the same as the weekend. Normally I don't think it would be as big of a deal but the hospital for "complicated pregnancies" is 90 minutes' away in Tucson and many of the doctors send their moms there if they are having early issues-before 36 weeks. Really praying I won't have to go to Tucson. :) I feel very comfortable with my doctor and his willingness to work with me is reassuring through these little bumps and surprises. He is keeping me on the Procardia but said I can discontinue it next week when I'm 36 weeks' along as they won't be worried about me/Anjuli's health at that time even if I deliver. I'm glad, I had wanted to try my "gentle birth" formula my sister in law Christie recommended but I wasn't planning to take it alongside a medication so I can still start it next week and he's fine with it. He said,"Gentle Birth...who wouldn't want to try it out with a name like that?" :)
So, I'm working from the couch a lot! Ebay listing from a Rubbermaid tub of clothing I had photographed several weeks back, crafting for the little show....thinking about last minute things I need to buy ie. order online to be ready for Anjuli, its all coming faster and faster!

 

Just had to toss in this photo of the magnificent changing table Lou built-has a little spot for the changing pad and extra diapers and wet wipes as well. Just beautiful!

Lou has been granted 3 days' leave when I deliver so we're trying to coordinate plans, as Mom, Dad, Jess and Corrie are planning to drive their RV across country to see us and their little granddaughter! Baby due dates, definitely not a set thing! :) Actually, no dates are set in our lives.....really. We should be given a list to fill out of our "top requests" for next duty station assignment, originally it was to be in late Feb/early March I believe? Now with changes to the war in Afghanistan and other personnel adjustments the assignments aren't being announced until April, the end of April from what we hear. Lou graduates from the Military Intelligence Captain's Career Course at the end of May so that gives us maybe a month to coordinate packing/moving plans, etc. It should make for a busy time, especially with "little girl" in the picture now! I'm sure it will come together as it always does, and its just another reason to remind myself,"All my days........." :)
Lou has almost finished the crib, its a beautiful piece of work and he spent a lot of time contemplating the best way to assemble it in order to make it function as a "co-sleeper" as well.

 The entire front side is removable and it adjusts to our bed height, so we can attach it to the mattress and have a little "cage" for Anjuli during the night...I keep telling him it reminds me of our Fisher Price circus train lion cage...in a good way, of course! :)

He takes it all in stride...of course...just like our hospital stay, when the nurse was placing my iv and he said with a serious expression,"One thing I'm concerned about, will she be out in time to make dinner tonight?" I love this guy, even though he is a stinker! :) He knows just how to get a rise out of me and he loves to wait for the reaction...my nickname these days is,"Little Miss Fat Belly" only because 99% of the people in my life see me and say,"Wow, you're tiny!" (The other 1% say,"Wow, you're really waddling!") He says its helps to balance my perception since being a first time mom I want to look pregnant...and also it serves as a term of endearment. This is the same man who calls his little sister "Fatness" and his brother "Toots", so I'm feeling the love. ;) He makes me laugh every day, inadvertently or intentionally. For instance, 2 days ago I FINALLY washed our hall bathroom rug...I normally take it outside and beat it against the cinder block wall to get the sawdust/debris out of it. That day I washed it and hung it to dry, then put it back in the bathroom late at night. The next morning he went into the bathroom and exclaimed,"Ooooh, I like this new rug! This is nice and fluffy!" Heehee, I had to tell him that no, it actually wasn't new but simply spanking clean for a change. When we package Ebay clothing for shipment he inputs the weight/prints the labels while I fold and and put each piece in the right size mailer. In order to cross check that we're sending out the right item (since we have 450 pieces of inventory) I have him read the description from the "sold" section...and invariably he reads,"Secret Service" in lieu of the "s/s" I use to abbreviate a "short sleeved" item. He does that intentionally! Like I said, he keeps me laughing every day!
Our photographer texted me that the maternity pictures should be finished sometime this week so next post will be unlike any other of mine....no words, just photos! :) Well, I probably shouldn't promise that but it won't be as wordy, I'm sure.
God bless you during this week!

PS. We're still guessing as to who Anjuli will favor...:)